CLASSROOM MATERIALS

Our multi-discipline classroom materials for grades 2, 4 and 7 follow the TEKS social studies guidelines for those grades. The materials have been developed by experienced educators whose vision and approach to student interaction make this program especially effective in classrooms, home schooling environments, and in independent study situations with gifted and talented students.

This unique program – Learning from our past to influence our future — teaches about water through Texas history!

There is a Teacher’s Resource Guide for each grade level, and grades 4 and 7 include an entertaining and educational DVD about Texas Rivers. At the 7th grade level, there are “Dime Novels” for students to read and learn about how critical water was to “frontier” Texas families. And, for the second graders, there is a video that follows two young students of today back into time as they visit a family and learn about the challenges of frontier life.

The TEXAS WATER program takes a unique approach to educating youngsters about today’s critical water issues…utilizing the marriage of education and entertainment — “Edu-tainment” — to help students understand how Texas has always depended on adequate water resources for expansion, growth and development…and that such an understanding will promote a greater appreciation for this finite natural resource.

500 Years of Texas History — Learning from our past DVD

This 2-hour, professionally produced video series emphasizes just how critical an adequate supply of water was to the cowboy and rancher… and how they accommodated the changes brought about by the invention of barbed wire. Before the arrival of the explorers or the settlers, the Native Americans were equally dependent upon water for survival. Students hear about the Six Flags that flew over Texas; how the Spanish explorers introduced the horse to Native Americans and changed the balance of power on the Plains forever; the tragic story of the two captures of Cynthia Ann Parker and about her son, Quanah, the last Chief of the Comanches. The “trail boss” talks about cattle drives and explains what life was like on the trail. The video production is supported by classroom materials – two series of DIME NOVELS, a “Windmills and Barbed Wire” coloring book, and an exciting Cattle Drive Game round out the program.

Texas Rivers – DVD

Take a trip along 13 Texas rivers…learn about where they come from and where they go…and discover how what happened along their banks has not only been critical in Texas history but will play an increasingly important role in the State’s future. (Approximately 30 minutes long; the introduction and each of the rivers can play continuously, or be broken into individual river segments.)

Centuries of Texas Water– CD

A Texas Frontier Adventure– DVD

Frontier Series

Windmills and Barbed Wire

“Windmills and Barbed Wire” is intended to familiarize students of today with how the Texas frontier was settled — and specifically the critical role that water, windmills and barbed wire played in winning the west. The Frontier Series of three Dime Novels are about the Sullivan family who packed up their possessions and left Malvern Junction, Arkansas aboard a Texas & Pacific westbound train, and headed for a new life in Texas. It is through their experiences that we learn about how critical water quickly became to their survival and how they adapted to their new home…and how the invention of barbed wire and windmills made it possible to settle arid regions of Texas.

Winning the West – Frontier Challenges

“Winning the West – Frontier Challenges” continues the saga of the Sullivan’s as they learn about the integral roles played by the buffalo, the Plains Indians, and the ranchers and cattle drives in the expansion of the frontier. The family learns more about surviving life-threatening disease with access to only primitive frontier medicine, and about the ravages of drought on farming enterprises.

Winning the West – Frontier Folkways

“Winning the West – Frontier Folkways” follows the young Abbie Sullivan as she has the opportunity to attend the University of Texas. After Abbie’s family relocates, she discovers her true gifts – writing and teaching – and pursues a journalism career in Austin. Later she accepts an invitation to join the Journalism Department at UT. The third Dime Novel follows some of her lectures – based on her own experiences on the frontier as a young girl – and includes information on daily life as well as some important historic events.

Texas Legend Series

Charlie Goodnight

Student novels written in the style of mid-1800’s Dime Novels, there are three books in the Legends series…Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah Parker and Charlie Goodnight. The lives of these three Texas history icons were inextricably interwoven and their stories — filled with interesting facts and anecdotes — make great reading.

The series also has a Teacher Guide as part of the set. Classroom sets of 30 include 1 Teacher Guide and 30 copies of each of the three student books.

Cynthia Ann Parker

Student novels written in the style of mid-1800’s Dime Novels, there are three books in the Legends series…Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah Parker and Charlie Goodnight. The lives of these three Texas history icons were inextricably interwoven and their stories — filled with interesting facts and anecdotes — make great reading.

The series also has a Teacher Guide as part of the set. Classroom sets of 30 include 1 Teacher Guide and 30 copies of each of the three student books.

Quanah Parker

Student novels written in the style of mid-1800’s Dime Novels, there are three books in the Legends series…Cynthia Ann Parker, Quanah Parker and Charlie Goodnight. The lives of these three Texas history icons were inextricably interwoven and their stories — filled with interesting facts and anecdotes — make great reading.

The series also has a Teacher Guide as part of the set. Classroom sets of 30 include 1 Teacher Guide and 30 copies of each of the three student books.

Digging Up History

Digging Up History – Teacher Guide

Since the dawn of time, people have always needed certain things to help them stay alive — easy access to water, sources of food, clothing and shelter. Geographical locations with these resources are likely to have been populated over and over again throughout time, which makes them logical places to look for relics and artifacts from previous habitation. The new DIGGING UP HISTORYprogram takes students back to the end of the Ice Age, when Paleo Indians were finding their way into North America over the land bridge.

Created for use at the 4th and 7th grade levels (aligned with science, social studies, math, and language arts TEKS), the Digging Up History Teacher’s Kit features our very own archaeologist, “Texas Smith” (a.k.a. Steve Baird) in a multi-segment DVD — with videos on Mammoths in Texas, Ice Age Paleo-Indians, the Gault Archaeologist Site, and How to Make a “Dig Box”. Also included is a copy of the student DIME NOVEL, Journey to the Land of the Mammoths.

Journey To The Land Of The Mammoths

A NEW Dime Novel that takes the readers along with Texas Smith as he makes an abrupt excursion back to the end of the Ice Age where he meets – face to face – the people and animals he has studied during his archaeological career.

Meet the Paleo-Indian family he encounters on his journey, who teaches him about the first Texans, how they lived off the land in harsh conditions, and survived encounters with massive mammals and fierce predators. (“Journey” is available in single copies or in classroom sets of 30.)